Summer Loves

It’s summer!  Yippee!  I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t get excited about the beginning of summer. The kids are out of school, the tree pollen is gone and we can breathe again, baseball season is in full swing, the pools are open, the shore season has started, and the grills are fired up.
 
There are so many great things about summer, it’s hard to decide what to mention, but here are some of my favorites.
 

MUSIC
For some reason, the summer always brings a whole new set of music to mind.  After all, you need some great peppy tunes to sit on the beach or out by the pool. We may look like we’re just napping on the chaise lounge, but our toes are always moving to the beat. I tend to pull out more of my “oldies” during the summer.  (Some would say that ALL my CDs would be considered “oldies”, but let’s move on without further comment.) We recently polled our Facebook fans for their favorite summer songs and here are just a few of the great songs mentioned: 

• "All Summer Long" and "Surfin’ Safari", both by the Beach Boys.  Of course, any song by the Beach Boys makes a great summer song.
• "Wildwood Days" by Bobby Rydell, a local favorite song and singer (Released in 1963 - So you see, other people like oldies for the summer too!)
• "Summer Sun" (Jamestown Massacre), "Summer Breeze" (Seals and Crofts), "Boys of Summer" (The Ataris), Summertime (Janis Joplin), and "All Summer Long" (Kid Rock), just to name a few more.

(See our "Encore" section below for the song we selected as the "Song of the Quarter".)
 

FOOD
While I can certainly be found brushing snow off the lid in order to toss some chicken on the grill in the dead of winter, the grill definitely gets more of a workout in the summer.  And there’s no denying the deliciousness of freshly picked veggies. A few favorite summer foods:  

• Burgers on the grill
• Zucchini from the garden  (sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and topped with a little cheese)
• Jersey tomatoes
• Zucchini from the garden  (grilled with some herbs and spices, and topped with a little cheese)
• Corn on the cob
• Zucchini from the garden (in omelets, topped with a little cheese)

WARDROBE
By the time spring rolls around, I’m tired of all my sweaters and jackets.  My favorite wardrobe consists of shorts, tank tops, and flip flops, or even better - bare feet!  There are all kinds of benefits to this wardrobe.  Besides the comfort factor, just think - lighter smaller clothes means doing laundry less often.  And who irons shorts?
 
RELAXATION
Maybe it’s the heat or humidity, but summer definitely brings about a more relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  Less rushing around, more lying around baking in the sun. But my favorite relaxing time in the summer is weekend mornings.  There is nothing more relaxing than having breakfast outside on the patio with coffee and freshly baked scones while perusing the newspaper.    
 

Of course once winter rolls around, I’ll be singing the praises of bowls of hot chili, fireplaces, and winter wonderlands.  That’s the beauty of living in this part of the country - we always have a new season to look forward to.  But in the meantime, let’s enjoy the hot sunny days while we listen to some great music by the pool while eating our grilled chicken and, did I mention zucchini?
                    

• We had a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend at the Cedarvale Winery craft and auto show. Many people stopped by to check out the merchandise of over 30 vendors, sample the wine, and take a look at the assortment of cars on display.  We had a lot of visitors at the Harmony table, met many nice people, and even made a few new friends. 
   
• Uptown Pitman now hosts a Farm Market every Saturday through October from 8am to 2pm.  The market features local produce as well as a variety of other products from area vendors.  Harmony Gift Baskets will be there several times throughout the summer with a large assortment of licensed sports merchandise and a few different baskets each week.  We’ll keep you posted on our Facebook page as to when we will be there.  Stop by some Saturday to pick up some fresh produce and say hello.
• Feeling extra generous this quarter, we had two basket giveaway winners.  Congratulations to the 2 lucky people on our email list:
  • June Swords Bower,owner/editor of the Women of Gloucester County online magazine
  • Robert Blomquist of The Barclay Group 
• As you may know, Harmony Gift Baskets carries specialty baskets featuring licensed MLB, NHL, and NFL products.  In case you missed our May 24^th email, we are now offering many individual licensed sports products for purchase as well.  Our Sports Lovers page has been re-designed to offer you a selection of baskets, OR individual items in various categories.  Just click on the Category box to see the items available in that category.  Be sure to check back often as we will be updating these pages frequently.  You can also pick out individual sports items to add to any basket.  How about a Phillies coffee mug added to “Judy’s Coffee Lovers” basket?  Just give us a call with your special requests.   

 Sue in Philadelphia had this to say about us after we provided 88 baskets for Administrative Professional’s Day in April:
 
"The response on the baskets was very very positive. You did a great job and managed to exceed my expectations. Thanks so much for pulling this together for me and making it easy!”
 
We had a great time putting all the baskets together and we’re glad that the recipients liked them! 

If you would like to provide feedback on your experiences with us, please drop us a note at maureen@harmonybaskets.com. 

If you are a store owner and are interested in displaying our baskets, please contact us at maureen@harmonybaskets.com.

• July 4^th: Independence Day
• July 24^th: Parents Day
• Sept. 5^th: Labor Day
• September 11^th: Grandparents Day
• October 10^th: Columbus Day
• October 16^th: National Boss Day
• October 31: Halloween

Summer Events

Labor Day

Labor Day is a national celebration of the contributions workers have made to the productivity and well-being of our country.   Created as a result of the labor movement, the first Labor Day was celebrated by the Central Labor Union of New York in 1882. The concept spread as more labor organizations were created and in 1894, congress passed an act to create an annual legal holiday on the first Monday of September.   Over 100 years later, Labor Day celebrations continue and generally consist of a relaxing day of picnics and barbeques with family and friends. Enjoy!
 
   

First, thanks for all the suggestions we received for great summer songs, some of which were listed in the feature article above.  Picking the Song of the Quarter this time was very tough because we liked all the songs.  We finally decided on “Centerfield” by John Fogerty. (Also referred to by many, including myself, as "Put Me in Coach".)  It just fits so well with our love of baseball, the release of our new sports lover’s items, and our first place Phillies.  It’s a great upbeat song that people just love to sing along with when the chorus rolls around, and it’s often played in ballparks between innings and at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  Released in 1985, the lyrics refer to some old time baseball players like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio that Fogerty used to hear about in his father’s baseball stories.  Check out John Fogerty’s music video for Centerfield on YouTube.
 
Next quarter’s newsletter will feature a favorite “party song”.   Give us your suggestions for great party songs on our Facebook page, or drop us an email at Maureen@harmonybaskets.com.  We’ll pick a song from the suggestions we receive and will feature it in our October newsletter.   

HAPPY 4th of JULY!

Lori's Famous Scone Basket

As mentioned in the Feature Article above, there’s nothing like freshly baked scones and coffee on the deck on a nice summer morning.   Figuring we are not the only ones who feel this way, we decided to feature Lori’s Famous Scone Basket this quarter.  In case you’re not inclined to make your own scones from scratch, this basket includes a scone mix as well as the pan to bake them in.  But once you get your feet wet, you’ll want to try one of the recipes in the included scone recipe book.   You’ll also get a variety of beverages including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, as well as some jam for spreading.
  
Give someone the gift of a relaxing summer morning.  (Delicious any other time of year too!)  





    

Contact info:
Website: www.harmonybaskets.com
Mailing address:Harmony Gift Baskets, P.O. Box 1081, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
Phone: 856-535-7129
Email:maureen@harmonybaskets.com
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